Doing a all grain setup right

I have previously homebrewed but havent made any in the past year partly losing motivation in carrying carboys up stairs which seems to be a hassle. I also moved twice last year. I have a basement now that I am confined to. I wanted to build a setup for all grain and am looking to weld up a frame and get some electric burners and a wort chiller. I figured this would make me more inclined to brew regularly. I work at a contractor with a metal shop as well. I decided if I am going to do this I am going to do it right. I wanted to know since I have never all grain brewed, some things to look out for, how to design my setup, and some other things to note. Additionally where could I find more owned stainless steel kegs, I bought one that was previously a boddingtons one, but I believe most brewerys use aluminum now. Also if I could design it with portability in mind that would be excellent becuse I am probably moving again in the next year.

Any tips, suggestions, pictures, or suppliers to look at would be helpful.

All the Best,

Will

Aluminum kegs are not used much at all. It was tried but did not catch on. Check with some local breweries to see if they sell the out of service kegs.

I would suggest you sit at your computer and read the DIY thread. There are a lot of threads detailing what you want. I would also suggest finding someone local, maybe a brew club and helping out on an AG brewday to see the process. It is hard to design and build a system if you have not actually done the process. What you build may not be what you really want.

Troll the many posts on the DIY forum. And most importantly, brew with as many all grain brewers on as many different systems as you can. Many, many ways to skin a cat. And no one method is necessarily better than another. All grain setup are limited only by your creativity, your skill, and pocket book. Things to consider before you make your first weld:

How will you heat your mash? Straight infusion, direct heat, HERMS, RIMS, etc?
What's your heat source? Electric, propane, or natural gas?
Gravity or pump?
One tier, two tier?
Wood, aluminum, steel, or stainless frame?
How will you sparge? Batch or fly (continuous), or hybrid?
How will you chill? CFC, IC, plate chiller? Whirlpool?
Will you use a hopback?
Filter your water?
Stainless or brass?
Hard plumb gas line?
Hard plumb liquid lines or flexible tubing?
Quick disconnects or sanitary fittings?